Playing the name game: NFA facilities stand the test of time

After spending nine years at Franklin Elementary School, which at that time did not have a gym, my first visit to Norwich Free Academy as a freshman in 1990 was like walking onto a college campus.

By BRIAN GIRASOLI

The Bulletin

By BRIAN GIRASOLI

Posted Apr. 14, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 14, 2013 at 2:02 PM

By BRIAN GIRASOLI

Posted Apr. 14, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 14, 2013 at 2:02 PM

After spending nine years at Franklin Elementary School, which at that time did not have a gym, my first visit to Norwich Free Academy as a freshman in 1990 was like walking onto a college campus.

I’m sure many students who come from Lisbon, Canterbury or Bozrah share the same feeling the first time they step onto the Academy’s campus. The history — how many schools have a plaque dedicated to the students who fought in the Civil War? — and architecture are something to admire.

There’s two gyms at NFA, the newer of which is used far more often for athletic events. But I still remember my first day huddled with my new classmates in the older gym, waiting for school pictures, and thinking, ‘This is not Franklin.’

Norton Gymnasium

A generous donation from Ella B. Norton in memory of her father, Henry, is the name behind the “old gym,” as NFA’s alums refer to it. Featuring large windows, tube radiators shoved one-third of the way up the walls and old ticket windows, this gym has the smell and feel of what high school sports from a generation (or three) ago were like. It opened on Oct. 21, 1930, and basketball teams played here until Alumni Hall (or the “new gym”) was built in 1978. Wrestling and gymnastics still compete in Norton.

Dickenman Field

Howie Dickenman, the father of the Central Connecticut State University men’s basketball coach by the same name, was the longtime basketball coach and director of physical education at NFA. A popular figure around campus, Dickenman died suddenly in 1968 at only 54 years old. The baseball field is named for him.

Fontaine Field

Richard Fontaine was the longtime recreation director for the city who retired in 1986. He was inducted into the Norwich Sports Hall of Fame and was active as a former player, coach and official in baseball and basketball programs at the city, regional and state levels. The soccer teams play here.

Armstrong Courts

Steve Armstrong championed tennis in the Norwich area for decades, and in the mid-1980s wrote a book titled “The Clay Courts of Norwich.” The Stephen S. Armstrong Courts, located between Dickenman Field and Kelly Middle School, is one of the few public outdoor clay courts left in the state. While a chore to maintain, they can be and should be a source of pride for this city.

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A drive up scenic Route 87 through North Franklin, and past the Lebanon Green Market onto Route 207, takes us to Lyman Memorial High School.

Hanover Field

The baseball field is named for Robert Hanover, who came to Lyman Memorial in 1986 and coached girls soccer and tennis. A Vietnam veteran, Hanover was active in the community with Little League baseball, soccer and basketball. He died of cancer in 1996, and the baseball field was named for him that same year. There also is a garden near the third base dugout in his memory.

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We head back onto Route 207 west, get onto Route 16 and eventually reach Bacon Academy in Colchester.

Shea Gymnasium

One of the few who still coaches from the court for which he is named, Dave Shea is Mr. Bacon Academy. A 1952 Bacon graduate, Shea is the lone coach in the state to have won both a boys and girls basketball state championship, as well as have more than 300 wins for each side. He coached the boys’ team from 1961-85, and recently finished his 19th season with the girls. He just entered his 26th season as coach of the baseball team.

Jack Long Track

Jack Long is a member of the National High School Athletic Coaches Association and Connecticut High School Coaches Association’s halls of fame. He spent 37 years as the track and cross-country coach at Bacon, leading the girls’ team to state titles in 1977, ’78 and ’84.

* * *

Good thing we have nice weather for this tour, because now we make a long, scenic drive back toward Willimantic on Route 6, go up Route 32 and over to South Eagleville Road, where we reach the University of Connecticut.

This campus has changed quite a bit since I graduated in 1998, and I’m sure alums who graduated even five to 10 years ago can say the same thing. While I still lament the loss of Memorial Stadium (the football field) and the open-air hockey arena, the Huskies still play on some hallowed grounds.

J.O. Christian Field

The baseball field is named for the longtime baseball coach (1936-61) and athletic director (1950-66).

Greer Field House

The former basketball court and indoor track facility is named for Hugh S. Greer, who was a standout athlete, coach and athletic director. It opened in 1954 and underwent a renovation in 1996-97, seven years after the basketball teams moved to their present home at Gampel Pavilion. Greer coached men’s basketball from 1946-63 and is second all-time with 211 wins, but died of a heart attack during the 1963 season.

Hawley Armory

Built in 1914, the Armory once hosted athletic, social and theatrical activities, as well as military. 1st Sgt. Willis Nichols Hawley, an 1898 graduate of Storrs Agricultural College — as the University was then known — fought in the Spanish-American War soon after graduating, but contracted typhoid fever and died on Nov. 19, 1898. A decade and a half later, Hawley’s name was memorialized on the new building, which next year celebrates its 100th anniversary.

Gampel Pavilion

Harry A. Gampel’s $1 million gift helped finance the current basketball and volleyball facility, which was completed in 1990. Gampel was a 1943 graduate of UConn who endowed athletic scholarships and a fund benefiting the insurance program at the School of Business.

Page 3 of 3 - Burton Complex

This facility is the football team’s home away from Rentschler Field. Robert G. Burton donated $2.5 million toward the construction of this facility; his son, Michael, was a captain on the 1999 team. Within this complex is the Mark R. Shenkman Training Center, an indoor football training and recreational facility that is named for Shenkman, an alumnus who donated $2.5 million toward the construction.

Morrone Stadium

The soccer field is named for Joseph Morrone, the successful men’s soccer coach who led the Huskies from 1969-96 and compiled a 422-199-64 record. UConn won the 1981 NCAA national championship and reached the NCAA tournament in 16 of his last 18 seasons.

Freitas Ice Forum

Named for Mark E. Freitas, a donor and former hockey player who has been successful in business.

Rentschler Field

UConn’s football field in East Hartford is on the original location of Pratt & Whitney’s company airfield, which was built in 1931. Frederick Brant Rentschler founded the aircraft division of Pratt & Whitney, as well as its parent company United Technologies.

Sherman Complex

The field hockey and outdoor track teams perform here, whose official name is the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex. The donor of the facility, Bill Sherman, is a long-time supporter of UConn athletics.

Burrill Family Field

Named for donors, the softball team plays here. Bob and Barbara Burrill have been active supporters of UConn athletics for more than 25 years.

Wolff-Zackin Natatorium

Also named for donors, the swimming teams compete here.

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Our final trip for this part brings us down Route 195 and over to Route 6, where we eventually meet up with Parish Hill High School in Chaplin.

Dunne Gymnasium

Kevin Dunne taught physical education at Parish Hill Middle-High School for more than 30 years. He began teaching when the school first opened in the late 1960s. He retired in 2006, but continues to work in athletics with his wife at Patti Dunne’s School of Gymnastics in Hebron.

In the final part of our series next week, we’ll visit the schools in Northeast Connecticut.